26 



Travels in India. 



Parti! 



Thefe thirteen pieces differing all in goodnefs, they never make ufe of them, 

 but when any queftion arifes concerning a fmall quantity of Silver, or of any 

 wrought Silver. For they refine all their great quantities. All that kind of Silver 

 is bought by the weight which they call Tolla, which weighs nine Deneers, and 

 eight Grains, or 32 Val's ; 81 Val's, making an Ounce : So that an hundred Tolla's 

 make 38 Ounces, 21 Deneers, and 8 Grains. 



See here the differences of the thirteen Goodnejfes of Silver. 



TH E firft, Which is the loweft in goodnefs, they take at fifteen Pecha's to the 

 Tolla, which makes of our Money nine Sous, two Deneers. 

 The fécond, at eighteen Pecha's, which make ten Sous, two Deneers. 

 The third, at ten Pecha's, which make twelve Sous, fix Deneers. 

 The fourth, at thirteen Pecha's, which make fourteen Sous, fix Deneers. 

 The fife, at fixteen Pecha's, which make fifteen Sous, ten Deneers. 

 The fixt, at nineteen Pecha's,, which make fèventeen Sous, fix Deneers. 

 The feventh, at thirty-three Pecha's, which make nineteen Sous, two De- 

 neers. 



The eighth, at thirty- five Pecha's, which make twenty Sous, ten Deneers. 

 The ninth, at thirty-eight Pecha's., which make twenty-two Sous, fix De- 

 neers. 



The tenth, at forty Pecha's, which make twenty-four Sous-, two Deneers. 

 The eleventh, at forty-three Pecha's, which make twenty-five Sous, ten De- 

 neers. 



The twelfth, at forty-fix Pecha's, which make twenty-leven Sous, fix Deneers. 

 The thirteenth^ at forty-nine Pecha's, which make nineteen Sous, two De-' 

 neers. 



Here it will not be amifs to give you an hint, how far the cunning extends, not 

 only of the Cheraffs or Changers, but of all the Indians in general -, and it (hall 

 fuffice to give you one example, which is very particular, and of which our 

 Europeans make no account : Which is this ; that of all the Gold, which re- 

 mains upon the ftone upon which they make the Efiay, and of which we make no 

 reckoning, they are fo far from lofing the leaft atome of that fmall matter, that 

 they fetch it all oif, by means of a Ball made half of Black-pitch, and half of 

 Soft-wax, with which they rub the ftone that carries the Gold } at the end of 

 fome years the Ball will mine, and then they get out all the Gold that fticks to it. 

 This Ball is about the bignefs of one of our Tennis-Balls ; and the Stone is fuch 

 a one as our Goldfmiths generally ufe. 



Thus much of the Cuftofn-houfes and Money currant among the Indians. It 

 remains to (peak of their manner of Exchange. 



As all the Goods which are made in the Empire of the Great Mogull, and 

 fome part of the Kingdoms of Golconda and Ftfapour are brought to Sur an to be 

 tranfported into feveral parts of Afia and Europe ; the Merchants, when they go 

 from Surat to buy Commodities in the feveral Cities where they are made, as 

 at Labor, Agra, Âmadabat , Seronge, Brampour, Daca, Patna, Bma\ ou, Golconda, 

 Decan, Vifapour, and Dultabat, take up Money at Surat, and are difcharg'd at the 

 places where they go, by giving kind for kind. But when it happens that the 

 Merchant is mort of Money in thofe places, and that there is a necelfity for him 

 to take up Money to compleat his Markets, he muft then return it at Suratt with- 

 in two Months, paying monthly for the Change. 



From Lahor to Suratt the Exchange goes at fix and a quarter per Cent, 



From Amadabati from one, to one and an half. 



From Seronga, at three. 



From Brampour, from two and an half, to three. 

 From Daca, at ten. 

 From Banarou, at fix. 



From the three laft places they make their Bills of Exchange only to Agr* v 



and 



